Ridgewood, Western Australia

Ridgewood is bordered to the north by Butler (Lukin Drive), to the south by Clarkson (Hester Avenue) and to the west by Merriwa (Connolly Drive). The Mitchell Freeway separates Ridgewood from the rural locality of Nowergup in the east.[2]

Ridgewood's name refers to the wooded terrain on the Swan Coastal Plain.[3] The suburb was formerly a part of Merriwa until 1998, when Merriwa was split in two along Connolly Drive. The eastern half of Merriwa was gazetted as Ridgewood.[4] At the time, only south Ridgewood was populated, containing the "Carnegie Private Estate" that was built in the mid-1990s. The estate had a population of 968.[5]

There were campaigns for Ridgewood's separation from Merriwa as far back as 1994, not long after the Carnegie Estate had been built by developers Town and Country Holdings. The developers lodged a request with the City of Wanneroo to bifurcate the area from Merriwa and rename the new locality "Carnegie", after the estate, which in turn was named in honour of David Carnegie, one of the earliest explorers of Western Australia.[6] Although the request was rejected, the City supported the excision of the estate from Merriwa, leading to the creation of Ridgewood four years later.

The northern half of Ridgewood, "The Vistas", is a new development by Satterley, marketed as a part of the "Brighton Estate" that covers the adjoining suburbs of Butler and Jindalee.[7]

Ridgewood had a population of 1,292 at the 2006 census,[8] an increase of 324 since the 2001 census. The population is predicted to grow exponentially, peaking at 5,903 in 2016.[9] The demographics of Ridgewood's residents are similar to Merriwa, with the same average age of 33 (compared to 37 nationally) and income levels slightly below the national average.

Like all surrounding suburbs, Christianity is the predominant religious affiliation of Ridgewood's residents, accounting for 48.5% of the population across various Christian denominations. However, the suburb contains no churches but does have a Kingdom Hall for Jehovah's Witnesses. 27.4% declared no religion.

Ridgewood is primarily a residential suburb, with a BP service station in its south-west and almost no other facilities or retail establishments. However, it is positioned directly in between the suburbs of Butler, Merriwa and Clarkson, which all contain a sizeable number of shops and services that Ridgewood residents rely on, including the large Ocean Keys Shopping Centre in Clarkson.

As with neighbouring suburbs, Ridgewood contains several parks. Ridgewood Park in the south-west is the largest by area, and contains a sports pitch and a large pond.

Telephone services are provided by the Quinns Rocks telephone exchange.[10]

The West Coast Language Development Centre is the only education establishment in Ridgewood, one of five schools in Western Australia that serve language-disabled children.[11]

The nearest K–6 primary school to Ridgewood is Merriwa Primary School. Senior Ridgewood students fall into the Clarkson Community High School catchment area.[12]

The Mitchell Freeway forms the suburb's eastern boundary, with interchanges at Lukin Drive and Hester Avenue. Hester Avenue, in the south of Ridgewood, also links to Marmion Avenue and Wanneroo Road. Connolly Drive runs along Ridgewood's western boundary and provides a road link into Joondalup and the Mitchell Freeway.

The area is served by the 484 bus route to Clarkson railway station, the nearest major transport hub, providing rail and bus links to Joondalup and Perth.[13]

•    484 - Clarkson to Butler (east) via Ridgewood

Ridgewood's political leanings are unclear due to its diminutive population and lack of specified polling booth. The nearest booth in Merriwa tends to favour the Australian Labor Party at state level, while voting Liberal Party at federal level.

Like Merriwa, the suburb is part of the Electoral district of Butler at state level, and the Division of Pearce at federal level.

There are many birds in this suburb, namely crows, magpies and different species of parrots.